Folding box



July 31, 1923. A. 1,463,448 E. STERN v y FOLDING BOX Filed April 27. 1**921 /NVE'I'VTOQ 064@ L STERN.

A 7' TOP/VE Y.

.Patented July 3l, 1923.

EDGAR L. STERINLOF SAN' FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA.

FOLDING BOX.

Application led April 27, 1921. Serial No. 464,921.

' To all 'whom z't may concern.'

Be it known that I, EDGAR L. STERN, a citizen of the United States, residin at city and county of San Francisco and tate of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Folding Boxes, of which the following is a s eci cation.

This invention re ates to a box and yto be folded at their locked positions so that they may be readily erected to form thedesired container. lt has been a common defeet -in this class of boxes, however, that the locking tongues or other portions of the box must be bent in order to cause the sides .to lie in their folded position, thus making it necessary that the assembled box will be distorted and it is the principal object of the present invention to provide a box blank, the

`ends and sides of which may be factory assembled and thereafter folded in a manner to. prevent bending or distortion of the box sides, at the same time insuring that the box sides and ends may be instantly erected to form the container without trace of having been folded and in a manner to prevent separation of the end and side members.

rlhe present invention contemplates the use of a blank preferably formed with cardboard which has a rectangular body portion, the sides of which are bounded by side and end members adapted to be erected to form a wall around the perimeter of the body panel, the end members bein fitted with locking tongues which may e projected through slots in the side members in a manner to permit the side and end members to be folded flat against the body member while the tongues are in their locking position and without allowin the various members to become accidentally unlocked.

The invention is illustrated b ample in the accompanying which: i

Figure l is aview in perspective illustrating the completely assembled box member.

Fig. 2 is a view in plan illustrating the blank formation from which the box is formed.y

way of exrawmgs, 1n

articularly pertains to improvements in old- Fig. 3 is a plan disclosing the assembled and folded blank.

Fig. 4c is an enlarged fragmentary view in plan showing one corner of the folded box with parts brokenaway to more clearly disclose the position of the locking tongue when the box is folded.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged view in section as seen on the line 5 5 of Fig. 4 showing the manner in which the locking tongue extends throughvthe folded box without being unduly bent or distorted.

Referrin more particularly to the drawings, 10 in icates a box blank having a central rectangular panel 11. This panel is bounded on its four sides by side score marks 12 and 13 and end score marks 14 and 15. Formed as continuations of the central panel and along the score marks 12 and 13 are side panels 16 and 17 which form the side walls of a box portion 18. It is to be lunderstood that two of these box members are used in forming acomplete box, one providing the top and the other the bottom, while the side and end walls of the bottom box member telescope within the top box member.'

Formed as continuations ofV the opposite ends of the panel 11 are end panels 19 and 20. The panels 16, 17, 19 and 20 are all of the same height and are of lengths plural and corresponding to the length and width of the panel 11. Locking tongues 21 are formed as continuations of the endv members 19 and 20. These tongues are separated from the end panels by score marks 12' and 13 and it will thus be evident that when the side and end panels are folded up along the lines l2 to l5 inclusive, these panels will form a rectangular inclosure with the panel 11 for a bottom. In order to secure these panels in this position the tongues are adapted to pass through. slots 22 formed nea-r the ends of the side panels 16. and 17. It will be observed that a neck portion 24: is adapted to be locked in the slots 22 of the side panels so as to hold the heads against removal. The tongues agree inwidth with the end panels and in length with the width of the side panels and are formed with diagonal locking lips 25. Attention is directed to the factl that in the present case the panels of the box andthe tongues are only folded on the score marks 12 to 15 inclusive, and 12 and 13', thus insuring that .when the box is completed none of the sides nor the tongues will be unnecessarily bent or disand to insure thatv after the tongues are in place they will not be accidentally withdrawn. 'lhe slots are formed with a main arcuate portion a, a short slotted end portion b, adjacent the marginal edges'of the panels and an arcuate end portion c at the opposite end of the slot a and adjacent the inner corners of the panels. 'lhe portion a is described by an 'ark emanating from the outer cornerof the end panel and is of a length substantially agreeing with the width of the heads 23 of the tongue.

Due to the peculiar curvature of the slots 22 and the slotted ends b ando thereof, the sides and ends of the box may be connected by the tongues to assume the position shown in Fig. 3. lin other words, in a-ssembling the box the sides 16 and 17 are folded over the body panel. The ends 19 and 20 are then partly bent over the body panel and sides and the tongues are inserted through theslots. The ends 19 and 20 are then com- -pletely folded against thebody panel over the sides. During this period it is seen that the lip w of the slot would be uppermost and the lip y the lowermost with the tongue Apositioned therebetween. However, due to the slotted ends of the slots and curvature thereof, these lips reverse their position during i the erecting operation. ln other words, the

lip y during the first period of erecting will be the innermost lip and the lip a: the outermost one. Immediately before the box is v completely erected the lips gradually change lposition until the lip y lwill be theoutermost lip andthe lip m the innermost one, which position they will maintain when the box is completelyerected. a 'c llt should be stated that in erecting the box, the face of the portions 25 of the.

' tongues oome'in contact with the outer snr` face of the sides. 'llhis is somewhat of a cam action' and serves to maintain the sides and -ends in position onceA they are erected.

lin *operation of the present invention, the boxblank is catas shown in Fig. 2, there-- after it y be aembled by first folding the side panels along the score lines l2 and 13 until these panels are entirely folded down over the body panel l1. 'lhel end panels are then folded over the body panel ll and the pnevioiisly bolded side fanels. The end panels are creased alongvt e-score marks 12' 'and 13' until the tongues will vlie dat t the inner faces of the end els. lhesiderpnnelgy then be raised and the, toes ofthe end'panels inserted ngh neonata the slots-22.- During this operation the upper portions of the heads 23 will pass through the end portions `b of the head, and at the same time the cut e will allow the slot to suciently spread to permit the head.

of the tongue to pass completely through the slot without being bent or otherwise distorted. Attention is directed to the fact that this movement to insert the tongue through the slot is in a direction toward the longitudin'al center of the box blank and in plane substantially parallel to that of the face ofl will result in swinging the tongues from.

a plane parallel to the folded end panel to a plane at right angles to the side panels.

'lhese tongues will, at the same time act to 1 hold the side and'end panels at right'angles to each other and to the body panel i11.' By using two of the box members 18 suitably `varying in diameter, a complete box may b'e2i formed having a top and bottom and si es.

"lt will thus be seen that the -box structure here disclosed, while requiring no more paper stock than is usually reqired in boxes of this clam, at the same time provides a folded box which may -be conveniently handled and readily manipulated to produce a desired'container.

While ll have shown the preferred form of my invention as now known to me, it will be understood that various changes in the construction, combination and arrangement of parts may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention as claimed.;

v Having thuis described my invention, what ll claim and desire to secure by Let-A ters Patent, is:

, 1. A box comprising a rectangular body panel, end panels formed at the opposite ends of said-panel, side panels, tongues formed on the ends of the end panels, 'slots formed in theside panels for receiving the l tongues, said slots permittiiigtheside and end panels to be folded over the'bodypanel and interloclred and instantly erected when 'interlocked without bending thetongues and feo-operating means on the tongues and slots vwhereby the panels will beheld rigidv when `by score marmwnd panels extendingalong the opposite ends of the body panel and defined b score marks, tongue members ex om thel opposite ends of the end tending panels and defined from the end panels by a continuation of the side panel score marks, slots within the ends of the side panels and with which the said tongues are adapted to 'l interlock, said slots being so formed as to rmit the said tongues to be inserted there- 1n wh'en the side and end panels are folded over thebody panel, said slots also permitting the side and end panels-to be extendedperpendcularly to the body panel without disengaging the tongues from the slots or While erected and interlocked.

3. A box comprising a rectangular body panel, side and end panels disposedy around thev perimeter of the body panel, locking tongues formed as continuations of the end panels, receiving slots formed in the side panels, the said tongues and slots being so ormed as to permit the end and side panels to be folded against the body paneland interlocked and to` be instantly erected to form a box without disengagement of the tongues and slots and co-operating means 'formed on the tongues and slots whereby maintain the side and end panels rigid when interlocked and in erected position and resist collapsingthereof back yonto the Y body panel while erected and interlocked.

4. A box com rlsing a rectangular body panel2 end pane `formed at opposite ends of said body panel, side anels formed at opposite sides of said bo y panel,- tongues formed at 'the opposite ends of the end panels, slots formed within the ends of the side panels 'for receiving the tongues, said slots being so formed asv t0 permit the side and end panels to be -folded over the body panel and interlocked by the insertion of said tongues `into the slots, a. locking lip formed on each of said tongues, said lips being engageable with the outer :surface of said side panels, and adapted to permit the side and end panels to be vextended per- V pendicularly to the body panel without disengaglng the tongues from the s1ots, said` lips, when the side and end panels'are in extended position, being adapted to maintain the side and'end panels rigid whereby to resist collapsing of said panels back onto 'the body panel.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence 'of two subscribing witnesses.

EDGAR L. STERN. Witnesses:

1 HAROLD M. HYMAN, ADDISON N. Hnms. 

